Although the California-based company plans to maintain its focus on the U.S. market, it appears Omnitek Engineering Corp. is also growing its global ambitions as its technology continues to pick up overseas.
The company, which develops diesel-to-natural-gas engine conversion systems and complementary products, announced that a 12-liter natural gas engine manufactured by TEDOM s.r.o. Ltd. and equipped with Omnitek's proprietary natural gas engine management system has received Euro 6 emissions certification. TEDOM, an engine and bus manufacturer based in the Czech Republic, is Omnitek's exclusive OEM customer in the region.
‘The ability of Omnitek's technology to meet the Euro 6 emissions standards represents an important strategic advantage to both of our organizations,” says Werner Funk, Omnitek's president and CEO. “It should further accelerate demand for natural gas engines in Europe, as well as other world regions that require Euro 6 certification.”
‘Euro 6 emissions certification is a competitive advantage and not easily achieved,’ Funk adds.
He says that most countries mandating compliance with Euro 6 emissions standards have expensive diesel fuel costs, which are essentially unaffected by lower oil prices due to the high fuel tax component.
‘This results in a large price delta between diesel and natural gas prices, which makes Euro 6-compliant natural gas engines particularly attractive to fleets operating in these countries,” states Funk. “It also solidifies Omnitek's position as a global leader in natural gas engine technology, and makes our sales momentum less dependent on domestic customers who might be inclined to delay converting heavy-duty diesel fleets to natural gas due to current lower oil prices.”
However, Funk emphasizes that even with lower oil prices, the company is still in active discussions with several large domestic fleet operators. Funk adds he anticipates certain key projects commencing in the near future, as fleet managers have now completed analyzing the economic benefits of a payback period of less than two years for diesel-to-natural gas engine conversions and also recognize the environmental considerations and related compliance issues with meeting emissions mandates.
